Random Packing and Random Covering Sequences.
Abstract
In a sequential packing problem, random objects are uniformly and independently selected from some space. A selected object is either packed or rejected, depending on the distance between it and the nearest object which has been previously packed. A saturated packing is said to exist when it is no longer possible to pack any additional selections. The random packing density is the average proportion of the space which is occupied by the packed objects at saturation. Results concerning the time of the first rejection in a packing sequence are given in Chapter 1. The accuracy of some common approximation formulas is investigated for several settings. The problems considered may be thought of as generalizations of the classical birthday problem. Exact results concerning random packing densities are generally known only for some packing sequences in one-dimensional spaces. In Chapter 2, the packing densities of various computer generated codes are examined. These stochastically constructed codes provide a convenient way to study packing in multidimensional spaces. Asymptotic approximation formulas are given for the packing densities which arise from several different coding schemes. In Chapter 3 the distribution of the number of random selections needed to achieve a saturated packing is considered. In each of the settings examined, the results are compared with analogous results from an associated random covering problem.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 24, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA193862
Entities
People
- Clifton D. Sutton
Organizations
- Stanford University